Miso Soup

Miso has been in the news a lot lately in regards to radiation, etc. I have always felt though that there are many good reasons to include it regularly in your diet and wanted to re-post this (from June of 2010) recipe that I regularly use and recommend:

To make miso soup, start by bringing 4 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 piece of Kombu seaweed that is about 3 inches by 3 inches (it best to rinse the seaweed first in cold water). Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add a small handful of dried Bonito (dried, fish shavings). Let sit for several minutes then strain. Put 2 teaspoons (or more depending on taste preference) of miso paste in a bowl. Mix in one cup of the base that you have prepared and add a small pinch of Wakame seaweed. All of these ingredients - Kombu seaweed, Miso paste, Bonito, and Wakame seaweed - are available at an Asian market.

Pork Chops and Bacon Kale over Congee

I have had people asking about ways to serve congee and also ways to serve pork, so here is one of my favorite meals combining the two: pork chops with bacon kale over congee (a recipe for congee is here: http://traditionalhealtharts.blogspot.com/2010/11/slow-cooker-congee.html

In addition to the congee you'll need thin cut pork chops, olive oil, one bunch of kale, 2 slices of bacon (all natural preferably), raw walnuts and, if you like, umeboshi paste.

To prepare the pork chops heat up a large pan to medium with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, rub the chops with olive oil and then add the chops to the pan. Brown them for a couple of minutes on each side, then turn the heat down and cover them until they're done, turning them occasionally. Once they're done take them out and cut them into strips.

To prepare the bacon kale, chop the bacon into small pieces and cook in a pan or wok. Chop the kale while the bacon is cooking. Once the bacon is cooked, remove from the pan and set aside, and add the kale to the pan. Stir-fry the kale until it is done and then stir the bacon back in.

For the garnish, dice 1 or 2 walnuts and toast them in a pan or oven. The umeboshi paste can be purchased at an asian market or health food store (you'll only need a tiny bit of the paste per serving - about the size of a dime or so depending on taste).

Most of the prep and cooking can be done simultaneously - it should only take about 20-30 minutes total (not counting the congee, of course).

Serve the pork chop strips and bacon kale over the congee with the garnish on the sides.

Slow-Cooker Congee

Congee (or "Jook") is a wonderful, easy to digest, highly nourishing rice porridge dish. This recipe falls under the category of "more things to do with stock." I often recommend this when people need to restore their energy, and seasonally, it is one of the most appropriate dishes for consolidating the energy in the winter.

Start with 4-6 cups of stock and 2-4 cups of water (depending on how concentrated you want to make the congee) for a total of 8 cups of liquid. Put this in your slow-cooker/crock-pot. Add 1 cup of short grain white rice (I like Koda Farms Kokuho Rose). Turn your slow-cooker to low and come back in 6-8 hours. About 20 minutes before you're ready to take it out add about an inch of fresh ginger cut into matchstick size.

This will make 4 servings. Serve it topped with pork, sauteed greens and freshly toasted walnuts - or whatever else you like!

Note: To make this on the stovetop increase the fluid to 10 cups, bring to a boil and then simmer on low until it is ready, probably an hour or so. Again add the ginger 20 minutes or so before its done.

Using Bone Stock in Everyday Cooking

We are now in the time of year where the energy is moving inward. This is a great time to use bone stocks in your everyday cooking to support the energy and nourish the kidneys. I'll post a recipe soon for slow-cooker congee using pork stock, but in the meantime, start using a small amount of stock - around a tablespoon or so - when you steam vegetables and cook rice. Just mix it in with the water and you have a quick way to get concentrated nourishment that consolidates the qi and supports the essences.

To make stock follow the recipe: Making Bone Stock

Salt Chicken

From the Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, chicken has a warming effect on the body. This recipe is great for this time of year (and even in the summertime) as cooking the chicken in salt "cools" it, making it more appropriate for warmer weather - and very tasty.

All you need is a whole chicken and 1 pound of good quality sea salt (not table salt).

Put the salt in a wok or large cooking pan. Heat the pan on high until the salt starts crackling. Lay the chicken on top of the salt, turn down to medium and cover. Cook for 50 minutes and you're done!

I like to serve this over rice with steamed greens or stir-fried vegetables and mushrooms.

Making Bone Stock

I often recommend bone stock for restoring the energy and providing condensed, high quality nutrients. Within Traditional Chinese Medicine, making this is extracting the essences of the animal that provide tremendous nourishment.

This is the basic way to prepare bone stock:
To make bone stock, start with 4 pounds of beef or pork bones (pork neck works really well). Pork bones will be more cooling, while beef will be a little warming. Bake the bones in the oven at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Then put the bones in your stock pot, add 1 gallon of water and 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar and bring to a boil. Cover and turn down to a simmer for around 8 hours. Strain the bones and let the stock cool. Refrigerate what you will use within a week and freeze the rest. As it cools it is normal for it to solidify into gelatin. This can be used for making congee, as the base for soups (diluted with water) or added in small amounts to soups, stir fry, steaming water for vegetables, cooking grains, etc.

Miso Soup Recipe

I have been recommending miso soup to a lot of people lately - it aids digestion, benefits the energy and provides great, tasty nourishment. Here is how I usually prepare it:

To make miso soup, start by bringing 4 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 piece of Kombu seaweed that is about 3 inches by 3 inches (it best to rinse the seaweed first in cold water). Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add a small handful of dried Bonito (dried, fish shavings). Let sit for several minutes then strain. Put 2 teaspoons (or more depending on taste preference) of miso paste in a bowl. Mix in one cup of the base that you have prepared and add a small pinch of Wakame seaweed. All of these ingredients - Kombu seaweed, Miso paste, Bonito, and Wakame seaweed - should be available at an Asian market.